Peanut-ty Steak w/ Sesame Noodles

Peanut-ty Steak w/ Sesame Noodles

For the Steak:

1 lb Boneless Steak

2 tbsp Crunchy Peanut Butter

2 tbsp Rice Vinegar

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Preheat your skillet on medium heat with 1 tbsp of EVOO.  Add your Steak when it's hot and allow to cook through - about 3 minutes on each side.  Remove Steak from pan and set aside.  Using the same pan, add your Peanut Butter, Rice Vinegar, Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil.  Allow this to simmer together on low heat for a minute or so; then put your Steak back in the pan and spoon sauce over top of it.

For the Sesame Noodles:

1 package Spaghetti/Linguine Noodles

6 tbsp Soy Sauce

4 tbsp Rice Vinegar

6 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Red Pepper

This is a super basic recipe that EVERYONE should have in his/her back pocket because it's super easy and super flavorful.  Boil the pasta until al dente; drain.  Add remaining ingredients in sauce pan and toss with pasta.

Partake :)

Mushroom Marsala Smothered Steak & Polenta.

Mushroom Marsala Smothered Steak & Polenta

For the Steak:

1.5 lb Flank Steak (2-3)

2 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Minced Onion

1 tbsp EVOO

S&P to taste

Season your uncooked Steak with Garlic Powder, Minced Onion, and S&P.  Add Olive Oil and heat on Medium-High heat.  After your pan is hot, add your Steak and cook about 5 minutes per side or to desired 'doneness.'  I'm all about super well done, which makes me a rarity in the cooking world.

For the Polenta:

recipe by: Giada De Laurentis

6 cups Cold Water

2 tbsp Salt

1 3/4 cups Yellow Cornmeal

3 tbsp Unsalted Butter

My Polenta got a little bit chunky using this exact recipe.  What I would do is bring 5 cups of Cold Water to a boil and use the remaining cup to mix with the Yellow Cornmeal before slowly pouring it into the boiling water.  This will prevent chunking. 

For the Mushroom Marsala Sauce:

2 cups Cremini Mushrooms (or your fav kind)

1 cup Marsala Wine

1 tsp Thyme

1 tbsp EVOO

Heat your EVOO in a pan and add Mushrooms.  Cook until soft, then add your Thyme and allow to cook for about 1 minute.  Add your Marsala and simmer until the sauce reduces.

Sesame Beef w/ 'Fried' Rice

I hadn't intended on making my version of Fried Rice, but I didn't eat the Steak last night, so I needed some sort of protein; scrambled eggs was a perfect fix.

You Will Need:

Sesame Beef

1 lb Cubed Beef, seasoned w/ S & P
4 tbsp Soy Sauce
4 tbsp Sesame Oil
4 tbsp White Sugar
Red Pepper (optional)

'Fried' Rice

2 packages Instant Brown Rice (or 4 cups)
3 Eggs, scrambled
1 tbsp White Sugar
4 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 pkg Frozen Asian Veggies

As always, get your Beef going in a large skillet over Medium Heat.  In a bowl, mix together the Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, and White Sugar.  Pour mixture over the Beef and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  The longer it simmers, the more the flavors marry.  Add some Red Pepper if desired.

Start the Rice by cooking it according to package.  Again, combine the White Sugar and Soy Sauce to avoid clumping of the Sugar.  Mix your Rice, Scrambled Eggs, and Soy mixture together.  Then add your cooked Frozen Asian Veggies and mix it all up again.

Peanut & Peppered Steak Stir Fry.

We did actually have dinner last night.

Well, I had a couple of bites before I realized my tummy wasn't ready for steak, but I did make dinner, so I am not a total failure.

I failed, however, to take a picture.  It just didn't cross my mind considering I had a lot on my mind yesterday; the detes of which I will not bore you.  I made Peanut & Peppered Steak Stir Fry!  It smelled good and the 2 bites I had were pretty good, so I consider it a win and will share the recipe:

You Will Need:

1 lb sliced or cubed Steak
2 Tbsp Worchester Sauce
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Peanut Butter
EVOO
S&P
Rice - I took a short cut and used Uncle Ben's Asian Rice
Veggies - Aslo took a short cut here and used Birds Eye Asian Medley

Heat some EVOO on Medium heat until bubbly.

Add Steak to pan and S & P the bananas out of it.  Or lightly if you wish, but I prefer the former.  Steak should cook about 5-6 minutes then flipped or sauted (if you wanna be fancy) and cooked an additional 5-6 minutes.  I also S & P the other side.  When cooked fully, you can drain or keep the juices for more juiciness in the pan.  Add Peanut Butter, Worchester Sauce, and Soy Sauce to cooked Steak and allow to simmer and fall in love for about 10-15 minutes.

I added the Rice right to the pan and cooked it all together then served it with the Veggies.

Pretty easy, right?

Country Fried Steak

Since I've decided to go veg for a month to jump start some more weight loss (replacing meat with veggies), I didn't get to try this, but it got rave reviews from the handsome, meat loving Big Steven.

You Will Need:

1-2 lbs boneless Steak (I used Round Steak)
1 Egg, beaten
1 cup Flour
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup Shortening or Lard (I prefer Shortening, TYVM)
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large skillet, add Shortening over Medium heat and allow to melt.

While that's all happenin', mix together Flour, Cayenne Pepper, and Pepper (we LOVE Pepper, so I usually go a bit overboard).  Dredge Steak in Flour, then in beaten Egg, then in Flour again.  Add these to the pan and fry for 5-6 minutes on each side.

When you remove your Steak from the pan, use the greases/juices to make a brown gravy.  How?  Lemme tell you...

First, mix together Milk and remainder of Flour used for dredging.  S L O W L Y pour into frying pan with the Shortening and 'juices' from the Steak.  Wisk constantly.  If the gravy is not thin enough, add more Milk.  If it's too thin, keep over heat for a bit longer.

Gravy is best poured immediately on the Steak, so it doesn't get too thick or paste-y.